Saturday last, I saw Victoria and Abdul, a cute movie telling the story of Queen Victoria and her friendship with a young man from India, starring Dame Judi Dench.

I’ve had a "crush" on Judi Dench as long as I can remember, and I think the first thing I remember seeing her in was Shakespeare in Love, a short part for which she won an Oscar. She was great in the Bond movies and in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and it’s sequel and she also was in Ladies in Lavender with Maggie Smith.

She again plays Queen Victoria in this movie, later in life, and the story of how she is interested in a young Indian man who is sent from India (with a friend) to present her with a small award at the time of the jubilee honoring her service. (He's sent because he's tall). The story is about how they become friends and how all of her syncophants try to get rid of him.

The movie has lots of laughs, lots of serious parts and all of the supporting actors, including the late Tim Piggot Smith, are terrific. I felt like I was watching episodes of Midsomer Murders, where all of these guys have shown up.

I’m 68 years old and I went Saturday at 1pm, figuring I’d be one of few people in the theater. Turns out, all of us seniors showed up to see Judi Dench and I’m sure I was one of youngest people there.

Go see it.

It is on my to do list for next week. I have three days off and thought I would see a couple movies during the day.

What is that movie she was in about having had a baby she put up for adoption as a young Catholic girl and then found out he was adopted by a family in the United States and she went looking for him? Did you see that one? It starts with a P? My word finding these days.

(I type medical records and do just fine, but I can't think in regular terms, I can't think of words all the time. My doctor and therapist said it is stress, not dementia. I didn't think it was dementia anyway.)

That movie is Philomena. I've seen that several times and I think it's still available on Netflix.

who remembers her in the sitcom 'a fine romance'? that's my earliest memory of her, passing around 'dead pig' at a party. brilliant.

She also was in As Time Goes By, which I used to watch on Saturdays when I lived in Las Vegas, on the local PBS station. It was on right after Keeping Up Appearances, with Hyacinth Bouquet and her family.

Lovely chemistry with her late husband in that show.

One review I read called Judi Dench "the world's oldest pixie." She did a wonderful job, as always.

Sounds good.

Yes, my ex-husband's sister and I like to go see those movies together. We go with just the two of us--otherwise, we would have to hear her husband and my S.O. complain the whole time. They don't understand our love of PBS and British movies. (However, they like James Bond and Harry Potter.)

We used to watch "As Time Goes By", and I had no idea that "Lionel" was Judy Dench's husband in real life.

Mrs. Brown was a good movie, too.

Hyacinth Bucket was my mother! She looked exactly like her--the facial expressions, her features, her hairdo, when she was younger. My Mom is a busybody, social-climbing, former Relief Society President. But she has a good heart, and ya gotta love her!

Geoffrey Palmer who plays Lionel in As Time Goes By isn't her real life husband. It was the actor in A Fine Romance....Michael Williams.

Planning on seeing Victoria and Abdul this week.

he was great at his character, too - I still remember the theme.

I'm glad she's playing victoria again, it is almost like a follow on from Mrs Brown.